Mr. Jim Breslin:

-----but that would be a much better use of the State's resources.

In regard to the wider issue of vaccines or other instances where people have adverse events, the first requirement is to try to establish a linkage between people and the vaccine. Work was undertaken internationally and in Ireland to try to identify the association between people with narcolepsy, mostly young people, and those who had taken the vaccine. An association was found. There was a further requirement to prove causality, which is very hard to do because somebody may take a vaccine but something else may happen at the same time. That being said, the Health Service Executive has worked with relatively small numbers of people in that category to try to put services in place around their needs. We have increased the staffing around some of the specialist services that are needed for that and I know that is the case across Government, including in places like the Department of Education and Skills where people in the leaving certificate cycle, for example, have needed extra support with that and at university level.

There are likely to be some claims around that issue. There has not been a settlement. That has not reached a conclusion at this stage.